Centrifugal refrigerating machine



Sept. 19, 1950 H. A. A. EXNER 2,522,781

CENTRIFUGAL REFRIGERATING MACHINE Filed Jan. 3, 1947 INVENTUR Hel lmul'lz A.A.Exner.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 19, 1950 CENTRIFUGAL REFRIGERATIN G MACHINE Hellmuth Alfredo Arturo Emer, Florida, Argentina Application January 3, 1947, Serial No. 719,997 In Argentina June 6,1946

9 Claims. (Cl. 62-1175) The present invention refers to improvements in centrifugal acting refrigerating machines and has for its main object a refrigerating machine of the kind in which the refrigerating gas, after having" been strongly compressed, is allowed to expand freely, a strong cooling action of the refrigerant taking place as consequence of said expansion, said refrigeran acting, under these conditions. as cooling agent.

@The essential characteristic of the machine object of the present invention, resides in the fact that the compressionof the refrigerating gas is effected by centrifugal action taking place within av rotor, it thus being possiblevto avoid the employment of ordinary compressors and other accessories, thereby permitting a remarkable simplification of the mechanism, a longer life of the installation and an appreciable increase in the efiiciency of same.

The invention likewise contemplates other accessory objects that will be explained during the course of the present description.

In order that this invention may be more clearly understood and readily put into practice, same has been illustrated, as an example and in one of its preferred embodiments, in attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a. partial vertical, and elevational section of the refrigerating machine object of the present invention, through section I-I of Figure 2, and

Figure 2 is a partial plan-view cut of the same machine, through section IIII of Figure 1.

Like numerals correspond to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In the embodiment shown, the refrigerating machine object of the present invention, comprises essentially a hermetically closed casing I, made of sheet metal or any other adequate material, totally filed with ammonia, or some other refrigerant gas, and capable of being adapted to the internal portion of the cooling chamber 2, to which end, said casing is provided with a suitable number of supports or brackets 3, fixed to the walls of said chamber by screws 4 or similar means.

In accordance with the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the top base 5 of casing I is substantially flat, whereas its lower base or bottom 6 is conically shaped and has at its central portion anextension l in the shape of a receptacle or fiat-bottomed box; in its internal portion, casing l carries a series of fins 8, radially projecting from the top base 5 up to the central portion 2 of the lower base or bottom 6. the purpose of which will be made clear further on.

In turn, a support 9 is fixedly adapted to the top face of cooling chamber 2; from said support, by means of ball bearings III or similar arrangements, a hollow or tubular shaft II is suspended vertically, closed above by a partition l2 and actuated to turn at a high number of revolutions, by an electric motor comprising substantially a stator l3, forming integral part of said support 9, and a rotor l4 fixed, in turn, to said shaft ll.

As may be seen from Figure 1, shaft H passes through a gland l5 into casing I where it is joined to rotor I, said rotor in turn compris- 1 ing a truncated-cone shaped case, built of sheetmetal or similar material. .This rotor It bears at its lower portion an opening ll, partially. entering receptacle or box 1, whereas at the part of its widest diameter it is provided with an adequate number of small radial borings It, the purpose of which, as will be seen later on, is to act as atomizing nozzles for the refrigerating gas. Said rotor It bears, furthermore, fixed on the inside, one or more radial fins 19, the purpose of which will be made clear further on, beginning from the lower end of shaft I l. l

The system as described is complemented by a liquid circulating system, comprising a hollowring 20, of triangular section, adapted against the internal periphery of rotor I6 and provided on its outside with a certain number of radiation fins 2|, meant for the absorption of heat. This hollow ring is Joined to hollow shaft II by means of a double series of pipes 22 and 23, acting respectively as inlet and outlet conduits.

A second shaft 24 is, in turn, lodged within shaft II, this second shaft also being hollow and reaching up to a certain distance from partition l2, being preferably made of heat insulating material; by this arrangement, an annular chamber 25 is formed between shafts ii and 2!, said chamber being connected with outlet tubes 23, whereas the internal conduit of tube 24, through passage 26, is connected with inlet tubes 22.

The system as described comprises, furthermore, a finned radiator 21, conveniently fixed to the free external portion of tubular shaft II, the

function of which is to absorb heat from the circulating liquid, which may be water or any other similar fluid.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that when the motor is put in motion, armature ll of same causes the liquid circulating system also to turn at high speed, said system comprising tubular shafts H and 24, pipes 22 and 23 and hollow ring 20 as also the corresponding rotor comprising case I6 and fins l9. Through the action of centrifugal force, the liquid contained in said ring 20 will be strongly pressed against the internal peripherical surface of same, thereby absorbing the heat generated in the refrigerating gas by the compressing owing to the centrifugal action originated in the manner shown further on, as a consequence of which said liquid will be heated, and owing to the difference in density, by the upper tubes 23, in the direction shown by the arrows, ascending through the annular'space 25, during which ascension it is cooled by means of cooling fins 21, and in these conditions said liquid penetrates through the upper portion of internal tube 24, then descending, always due to its greater density, through the internal portion of same, from where it continues on its way through lower tubes 22, passing from there to hollow ring 20, thus completing the circuit.

As has already been stated shaft I I, in its rapid rotation, turns rotor I6 through the lower opening ll of which the refrigerant gas, filling chamber of casing I, is able to penetrate; as a consequence of said rotation, and of the cooperating action of fins 19, said gas is submitted to centrifugal action, strongly pressing against the internal periphery of said rotor; as a consequence of this pressure, said gas is strongly heated, said heat being absorbed by the compressed liquid circulating at that moment through hollow ring 20, as before explained, radiation fins 2| cooperating in this heat exchange.

Owing to the high pressure of the gas contained in the internal periphery of rotor l6, and the consequent lowering in temperature due to the action of the circulating liquid, said gas is liquefied, and in this state is vaporized through nozzles l8, passing into casing I, where it freely expands, as a consequence of which an intense cold is produced.

At the same time as this vaporization takes place, and the consequent compression of gas owing to the action of centrifugal force, a depression is originated in the central portion of rotor l6, reaching to the internal part of casing I, which obliges the gas contained in the latter to pass to the interior of said rotor through the lower opening ll of same, thus recommencing the formerly described cycle.

Fins 8, fixed to the internal part of easing I, have the tendency to prevent that the gas contained within same be dragged along by the movement of rotor Hi. In turn, fin or fins l0. fixed to the inside of said rotor, have the contrary tendency of impelling the gas contained in stgme at the same speed of rotation as the ro- In order to secure a continuous circulation of water, which owing to the centrifugal action might entirely leave internal tube 24, an additional liquid feed device has been provided, as an accessory element, comprising a small reserve deposit 2l, fixedly supported, from the lower portion of which tube 29 is projected, which after passing through gland 30, and partition 12, has its outlet facing the upper opening of said tube 24.

The invention as described may be clearly understood, and no further explanations will be required by those versed in the subject.

It is evident that divers modifications of conthe present invention as herein set forth and defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a centrifugally operating refrigerating machine, the combination comprising a rotatable hollow shaft closed at both ends, a housing providing a journal for the shaft, a hollow rotor affixed to the shaft and having a central opening communicating with the housing and having small radial openings vaporizing a refrigerant upon rotation of the rotor, a second tubular shaft fixed within the first shaft and bounding therewith an annular conduit, a hollow ring within the rotor, a tubular connection between the interior of the ring and the annular conduit, and a second tubular connection between the interior of the ring and the second tubular shaft.

2. The combination according to claim 1 and wherein the housing is substantially an inverted cone and has at its central bottom portion a flatbottomed extension and the rotor is generally an inverted truncated cone with an elongated bottom opening extending into the housing extenthereby departing from the essential nature of sion and the openings are arranged at the widest portion of the rotor.

3. The combination according to claim 2 and wherein the rotor carries on its interior conical surface radial fins rotating the refrigerant.

4. In a centrifugally operating refrigerating machine, the combination comprising a rotatable shaft, a closed housing providing a journal for the shaft, a hollow rotor affixed to the shaft adjacent one end thereof and having a central opening through which gas can escape from the housing into the rotor, said rotor also having small openings on the periphery thereof through which liquefied gas is projected in jet-like fashion due to the centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the rotor, a heat-absorbing conduit connected with the rotor within the periphery thereof, and a radiator located outside the housing and communicating with said conduit adjacent the other end of the shaft by means of supply and discharge channels passing through the interior of the rotor shaft.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein the housing is substantially an inverted cone and has at its central bottom portion a fiatbottomed extension and the rotor, being generally an inverted truncated cone, extends with a circular bottom opening into the housing extension.

6. In a centrifugally operating refrigerating machine, the combination comprising a stationary hermetically sealed housing, a hollow rotor including a hollow shaft rotatably mounted in the housing and having a gas inlet and on its circumference small radial openings for ejecting the gas during rotation, cooling means within the rotor and including an annular conduit fixed within the rotor to absorb heat; means supplying refrigerant liquid to the conduit, means discharging refrigerant liquid from the conduit and a return tube within the hollow shaft and connected to the supply means and defining with the interior surface thereof a chamber connected to the discharge means and return tube, and a radiator surrounding the hollow shaft and return tube and including cooling fins.

7. In a centrifugally operating refrigerating machine, the combination comprising a stationary hermetically sealed housing, a hollow rotor including a hollow shaft rotatably mounted in the housing and having a gas inlet and on its circumference small radial openings for ejecting the gas during rotation, cooling means within the rotor and including an annular conduit fixed within the rotor to absorb heat; means supplying refrigerant liquid to the conduit, means discharging refrigerant liquid from the conduit and a return tube within the hollow shaft and connected to the supply means and defining with the interior surface thereof a chamber connected to the discharge means and return tube, a radiator surrounding the hollow shaft and return tube and including cooling fins, bearings supporting the hollow shaft, one of the bearings being located within the housing and another exterior to the housing and a motor driving the shaft and located exteriorly of the housing.

8. In a centrifugaliy operating refrigerating machine, the combination comprising a stationary hermetically sealed housing, a hollow rotor including a hollow shaft rotatably mounted in the housing and having a gas inlet and on its circumference small radial openings for ejecting the gas during rotation, cooling means within the rotor and including an annular conduit fixed within the rotor to absorb heat; means supplying refrigerant liquid to the conduit, means discharging refrigerant liquid from the conduit and a return tube within the hollow shaft and connected to the supply means and defining with the interior surface thereof a chamber connected to the discharge means and return tube, a radiator surrounding the hollow shaft and return tube and including cooling fins in continuous contact with the hollow shaft, bearings supporting the hollow shaft, one of the bearings being located within the housing and another exterior to 6 the housing and a motor, driving the shaft and located exterioriy of the housing.

9. In a centrifugally operating refrigerating machine, the combination comprising a stationary hermetically sealed housing, a hollow rotor having on its inside radial fins'including a hollow shaft rotatably mounted in the housing and having a gas inlet and on its circumference small radial openings for ejecting the gas during rotation, cooling means within the rotor and includ-- ing an annular conduit fixed within the rotor to absorb heat; means supplying refrigerant liquid to the conduit, means discharging refrigerant liquid from the conduit and a return tube within the hollow shaft and connected to thesupply means and defining with the interior surface thereof a chamber connected to the discharge means and return tube, a radiator surrounding the hollow shaft and return tube and including cooling fins in continuous contact with the hollow shaft, bearings supporting the hollow shaft, one of the bearings being located within the housing and another exterior to the housing and a motor driving the shaft and located exteriorly of the housing.

HELLMUTH AIJ'REDO ARTURO EXN'ER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED s'ra'ms m'rnn'rs Number Name Date 2,298,122 Quassoni Sept. 15, 1942 

